Well, Well. Blogger Has Fixed the "Browse" for Pictures Bug.

Glad to see it.

And now I would like you to meet some friends of mine. Are they not cute?


Meet Sally  A Ravelry pattern. Of course.







And this is Jack Skellington   He's such a doll.

Why can't I start writing at the left like a normal person? Blogger has gotten weird. This is annoying. In fact I Do Not Like It. Alignment has to be clicked for each sentence until blogger gets the point. Weird.

Yes. I am done bitching.

To He who listens: I am thankful to Blogger for the pleasure of its use and am grateful. I will stop being a stick-in-the-mud about change. Amen.

Umm. One more thing. I just gotta ask. What is up with the strange misshapen white part around Sally? aaahh well. Again with the mumbling, "don't be a stickinthemud..."



Free Crochet Pattern: Cute Flowers

My Ravelry Badge is fixed!!!...thanks to the awesome helpful folks at Ravel's non-ravelry techno help group.

Please excuse the stupid date on above picture.

These cute little flowers are fun and fast and I love making 'em. They weigh about 2 or 3 ozs. Which tells you want a maniac I must be. That's a small sized ball of left over yarn to have laying around. Especially when there are a lot of them. =0D

The Pattern:

They are simple enough. Make a chain with either the loop method, or by chaining 5 sts and joining to form a ring or by chaining 3 and making your sc's into 3 ch from hook.

Oh yeah, choose your hook to match your yarn. A no sweat situation.

I prefer to ch 5 and join. I can get 12 or 14 sc's into the middle ring which I think makes a better flower.

I think the pink and brown one is done with sc'ing into the 3 ch from hook method.

And it looks like I didn't write the instrux down for these cuties but never fear they are easy. It is basically a lot of chaining.

After filling up the ring with sc's slide the sts over a bit and squeeze in some more sc's. You want a least 12 -16 sc's. Some of my flowers have 18. Join your round by slip stitching into the back strand of first sc. Ch 10 and again sl st into back strand.

What you'll then do is chain 10 and sl st into front strand of same sc; chain 10 and sl st into the back strand of next sc, ch 10 and sl st into front strand of same sc. 

* Ch 10, sl st to back strand of next st, ch 10, sl st to front strand of same st*. 

And repeat * to * in each sc around. Slip stitch into last front strand of last sc. Ch 8.

Now look at your work. 

Do you see beneath the petals how each sc has a vertical bar that is isolated from making the petals?

 Sl st around this bar right below the last petal.

*Ch 8, sl st to same bar; sl st to next bar*, and repeat * to *.

Fold those petals out your way.

You could really do all this any way you like. It's just fun to do. I'm no designer!

And what's so nice about a long print yarn is that you don't gotta do any color change.

Or you can change the color for the bottom petals if so inclined.

 

a lovely topper for a lovely lady

a close up of the flower

all the one color

you can see I did not know about jogless joining

Yes, that's the featured pattern and it's been felted. I did use a bigger hook to make the stitches a bit looser. The leaves are also crochet. I think what I did was make a chain to desired leaf length. Working in one strand of each chain you'd put stitches that are a bit taller in height, first thin, then wider and then thinner again, mimicking the shape of a leave. Sc, extended sc, dc, extended dc, (then maybe a treble that depending on how many sts you got) extended dc, dc, extended sc, sc; then work the same sequence on the other side of chain. This seems like about 9 or 10 sts. Then again I think I may have done 2 trebles and a few slip sts on the end. 12 sts maybe? But really, just experiment and have fun!

Hope these instrux are ok.

Enjoy!

A Free Quasi Pattern in Crochet

Little Chemo Cap  

This beanie was made for a young lady, the age of 5, attending our local Head Start Program. She has been taking chemo therapy and her hair is falling out. If you can believe that such a thing could happen! A child for gosh sakes. One afternoon the Early HS teachers asked if I could make something in pink for this child. I had it ready the next morning. It's the same stitch I used for the cozy I posted the other day. Please feel free to use this pattern for a cause that is close to your heart.

A worsted weight yarn and matching crochet hook. I had some pink and white ww acrylic laying dormat and was glad to be able to make good use of it. (you may have thought the same; stash buster!)

I made a chain to go around my grandson's head with a little bit of ease making the count an even number. Mine was 60 sts and about 18 " around. (I love to bottom up a crochet beanie).

Begin: To join this chain without twisting, fold chain in half with bumps out and take the hook out of the last loop. You then pull that last loop through the first bump with the hook. Your yarn should be behind the work toward your right (or left if a southpaw!) with the loop coming forward through the bump. Chain 2 and immediately turn. You'll work back the way you just came, instead of going on forward. For some reason continuing onwards causes a twist.

The Stitch: After the ch 2 make an *extended sc (ex-sc), ch1, extended sc (ex-sc) all in the next bump, then skip next bump* and repeat this * to * around the chain. You can see an explanation of the stitch ex-sc and the one I thought up from it (ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc) in one of the posts below. I then slip stitch around the beginning chain 2.

Continue: Ch 2. In each ch-1 space around work an ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc; sl st around beginning ch-2. Repeat this round until tall enough to begin decreasing. I make these beanies up, on the fly, and so forgot how many inches but I think it's 4 or 4 1/2" in height. To figure for your decreases, take a count of how many stitch motifs you have and decide on your divisibles. My beanie had 30 motifs and 5 x6 =30. I broke my decreases into 5 sections. 

Begin decrease: Ch 2. *(In next ch-1 space work ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc) 5 times; in next ch-1 space work 1 ex-sc only*; repeat * to * around; sl st into space before last ex-sc, sl st around beginning ch-2.

(25 motifs; 5 single ex-sc's)

Next Round: Ch 2. Work ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc in each ch-1 space around, skipping over the single ex-sc's all together; sl st around beg ch-2. (25 motifs)

Next Round: Ch 2. *(In next ch-1 space work ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc) 4 times; in next ch-1 space work 1 ex-sc only*; repeat * to * around; sl st into space before last ex-sc, sl st around beg ch-2. (20 motifs; 5 single ex-sc's)

Next Round: Ch2. Work ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc in each ch-1 space around, skipping over the single ex-sc all together; sl st aournd ch-2. (20 motifs) 

Next Round: Ch2. *(In next ch-1 space work ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc) 3 times; in next ch-1 space work 1 ex-sc only*; repeat * to * around; sl st into space before last ex-sc, sl st around beg ch-2. (15 motifs; 5 single ex-sc's)

Next Round: Ch2. *In next ch-1 space work ex-sc, ch1, ex-sc; yo, pull up a loop from next ch-1 space, yo, pull up a lp from next space before the ex-sc (3 loops on hook), yo and draw through 2 loops, yo, draw thru last 2 lps, ch1*, repeat from * to * around. (5 motifs; 5 dec and ch1's)

Next Round: Ch2. Work an ex-sc in each ch-1 space and at each dec around, sl st around ch-2. (10 ex-sc) 

Next Round: Ch 2. *Pull up a loop from next 2 ex-sc's, yo, pull through 2 lps on hook, yo pull thru last 2 loops, 1 lp on hook*; repeat this from * to * around, sl st around ch-2. (5 decrease sts)

If the hole on top of beanie is not small enough for ya work a sl st in each st around and that should do it. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Please let me know if this was understandable! Drop by with a picture of what you made and have a good day.

Free crochet pattern: Headband

Today is 5/5/2010.   Picture is now up so you can see!

I'm gonna put up these directions without a picture. I want to get it on paper while it's in my head but I promise to include a pic soon.

Any left over yarn and matching hook. I like this done up in cotton for summer. Wool, of course, is nice for cooler weather. This pattern is great for using up yarn. And all the young people around me love how it comes out.

Pattern St:
         Front Post dc (fp dc): with a loop on hook, yo, insert hook around next stitch from front to back and to front, yo, pull up loop, (yo, pull through 2 loops on hook) twice. One loop left on hook. Front Post dc made.
         Back Post dc (bp dc): with loop on hook, yo, insert hook around next stitch from back to front and to back, yo, pull up loop, (yo, pull through 2 loops on hook) twice. One loop left on hook. Back Post dc made.
         These moves are made around the post of the dc instead of working the chain on top of each stitch.


Begin:
       Make a chain to go around your noggin' plus 3 or 4 more, making for an even count. Not tight. Fold the chain in half with the bumps outward. Take hook from last chain and pull loop through first bump, chain 2 loosely and immediately turn. You will work back the way you just came and not forward, as in the usual manner when working in the round. This helps to prevent a twist in your chain. My head usually requires from about 78 to 90 chains depending on the yarn.
      In next bump and in every bump around, work a Double Crochet (dc); slip stitch (sl st) around the beginning chain 2 (ch2).

Next Row: Ch2 loosely, *fp dc in next dc, bp dc in next dc*, repeat this around, sl st around beg ch2.
Next Row: Repeat this row for about 8 or 10 rows or less. Whatever you might like. Or whatever your yarn will yield. A wool headband is nice, wider, for warmth. The one shown above has 5 rows in cotton. I like to finish with a row of reverse sc.
For the edge: after last sl st of last row, ch1, sc in each dc, sl st to beg ch1, reverse sc in each in every other sc around going the other way (also called crab st). Sl st to beg reverse sc. Fasten off, and weave in end.
Attach yarn with a slip knot to any dc on opposite edge. Ch1, sc in same spot, and in each dc around, sl st to beg ch1. Work reverse sc in each in every other sc around, sl st to beg ch1. Fasten off, and weave in end.

This stitch makes the headband kinda chunky. Hope pattern's easy enough to understand! Enjoy and drop me a note on what you think of your headband.

Note:  I put the strikethroughs because I made this headband last night and realized there's not supposed to be a round of single crochet and also because the reverse sc is done in every other stitch instead of each stitch. This makes the headband both snug and stretchy. The one shown is made in Universal's "Cotton Batik Supreme" in the color Farmers Market. I like this color. I had already knit up a beanie in it and had enough left over for the headband. Hope you's like it!

Have a good day.

Free Pattern: Crochet

It's something I sorta made up but not kinda thing. In Donna Kooler's "Encyclopedia of Crochet" there's this neat stitch called "Extended Single Crochet" (ext-sc) and it goes a little something like this....

Insert hook into next chain (or stitch), yo and draw up a loop (2 loops on hook). yo and draw through only one of the loops on hook (still 2 loops on hook), yo and draw through both of the two loops on hook. It's like an all-in-one single crochet, chain one. Very Kool. And so worked this up and decided to share.

Cell Phone Cozy or any other sort of gadget holder.

A simple custom fit pattern.

Any yarn and hook size to match. Mine used about 9 ozs/24 grams of Universal Yarn's Cotton Supreme Batik in Watermelon Patch, left over from a matching beanie (picture up soon). Such a yummy color. Can anyone say summer! I used a G hook. I think this stitch looks better a bit on the tight side.

A tapestry needle.

A cute button. Or you can make one yourself as shown above.

The Stitch:

Set up round or row: *in next ch, ext-sc, chain 1, ext-sc, skip next ch*. Repeat this sequence from * to* to end.

Continuing the pattern: *in next ch-1 space, ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc.* This is repeated in each ch-1 space of round or row.

Begin by making a chain the width of bottom of item to cozy and add 3 sts making for an odd number. I started with chain 15 for my cozy which, by the way, fits my camera pretty good. But not any phones laying around the house.

You will be working both sides of the chain. In 3rd ch from hook make an *ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next single strand of ch, skip next strand of ch*, repeat * to * to end of side.

You will now turn your work around and work the loops on the other side of the chain beginning right next to the slip knot. You may need to wiggle the hook a little to open up the chain at this spot. Make your ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in this spot, skip next ch, *ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next ch, skip next ch*, repeat * to * making a ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in strand of last chain.

This gave me 14 motifs total from my chain 15, 7 for each side. They are basicly across each other, two for each chain. Looks kinda flat, don't it? The sides will begin to stand up after a round or two. We'll go round and round instead of slip stitching to the beginning of the rounds.

Next Rnd: Ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next ch-1 spot between the extended single crochets on the other side, (hey, it's starting to stand up!) *ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next ch-1 spot, repeat this to end of side*. Repeat this sequence from * to .* Another words, round and round until you have the height you need for your cozy. Sides and bottom are all one piece. I worked for 4 1/2" and it's width was 3 1/2".

Finish working to one side then make a chain of 36, or just big enough to get around a persons hand. Fold chain in half with bumps outside, remove hook, place hook into last ch-1 space just made and draw the last loop of chain through this space, ch1 (joining into a strap), turn right back around to last chain and slip st into each bump all around the chain right back down to first bump and dock into this same ch-1 space proceeding on to ext-sc, ch1, ext sc-in each of the next ch-1 spaces as if nothing else is going on, to end of side.

At this point I worked back and forth to make the flap to close cozy, decreasing by making only 1 ext-sc in last ch-1 space at each side.

Mine went like this: after making wrist strap; 6 ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in each of next 6 ch-1 spaces, 1 ext-sc only in last ch-1 space, turn;
5 ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next 5 ch-1 spaces, 1 ext-sc only in last ch-1 space, turn;
4 ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next 4 ch-1 spaces, 1 ext-sc only in last ch-1 space, turn;
3 ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next 3 ch-1 spaces, 1 ext-ch only in last ch-1 space, turn;
2 ext-sc, ch-1, ext-sc in next, 2 ch-1 spaces, 1 ext-sc in last ch-1 space, turn;
1 ext-sc, ch1, ext-sc in next ch-1 space, 1 ext-sc in last ch-1 space, turn.

At this point I made a loop: chain 6, slip st to other end of flap tip and slip st into each bump of the chain and then sl st back into flap to finish. I used one size bigger hook to accomplish this because my chains are a bit tight. Fasten off and weave ends.

Button: I had a bit of yarn left and so... ch3, 10 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 10 sc in each sc around, sc 2tog around and go around again with sc 2tog, slip st to last st and draw yarn through leaving a long tail. This of course is done in the round. Attach tapestry needle and sew this button down.

Hope this is understandable and if so, hope you enjoy making it. Let me know!

As you can see I don't have Donna Kooler's Encyclo of Crochet. That's her Knit Book! LOL